I love visiting wineries. The character and ambiance in some of them is amazing. Stratus on the other hand is a very sterile, and almost industrial feeling place. Way too much concrete and steel for my tastes. It’s fantastic living close to two wine regions! And they are so very different in the wines and the wineries that are there! I digress …
Some wineries find it necessary to blend just about everything. Stratus for me is one of those. And this wine is an example of just that. The other thing I find disturbing is not only do they play with the %’s of each grape year to year, they also play with the grapes they use. This vintage is a blend of Semillon, Chardonnay and Viognier. The 2008 is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, with small amounts of Sémillon.
The wine is slightly golden in color with a nose that is primarily that of a chard. I was surprised that neither the Viognier nor the Semillon really come through on the nose. On the mid pallet this wine is primarily a chardonnay, a milder one at that. Some caramel, some vanilla backed by some strong acidity. The wine is medium in finish. All in all not a bad wine. I would give it an 88 or so. Very food friendly. I paired it with sushi at Corks and it went well. This wine is not available at the LCBO but is $26 at the winery. For my $$s this is not a great deal and there are other better whites from Niagara.
From the Stratus winery’s web site (for a different year):
2008 TOLLGATE WHITE
This is a unique blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, with small amounts of Sémillon to round out the mouth-feel and aromatic profile. Each variety aged for two years in the finest French barrels to create a smoky, creamy and full-bodied texture balanced by an aromatic mix of citrus and tropical fruit, apple and melon.
